Chapter 26
Gage
The soda in my red solo cup was nothing but a prop, a way for us to pretend like we were part of some college frat party instead of a summer camp gathering. The carbonation fizzed against my tongue, flat and sweet, but no one seemed to care. It wasn’t about the taste. It was about the illusion-the easy disguise that let us relax and laugh like we were doing something just a little bit reckless, even though Rachel would never let alcohol anywhere near this place. She was proud of this setup, of making us feel like adults while keeping everything in control.
And tonight? Tonight was her crown jewel. The first karaoke night of the summer. She had been buzzing about it all week, arranging the playlist, checking the equipment, stringing up lights as if she was prepping a stage for a full-on concert. And I knew, deep down in my bones, that she was going to drag me up there whether I wanted to or not. Rachel always did. I wasn’t some great singer-hell, I was barely decent-but once a few of the guys joined me and the crowd of girls started squealing because we were butchering some sloppy love song together, no one cared. The memory of it always blurred into heat and laughter anyway.
“So you don’t think she’ll be a problem anymore?” Miguel asked, his brow low as he tipped his cup
to his mouth.
Kenneth snorted before I could answer, his grin sharp, mischievous, like he’d been holding the line back just to throw it at me. “I still can’t believe you rammed her out like that,” he said, shaking his head with exaggerated disbelief. His voice was full of that s**t-eating amusement he thrived on, like he was proud of me for finally snapping.
I leaned back, staring into the depths of my soda as if it had any answers. “I think she’s done now,” I muttered, giving a short nod. “Hopefully she won’t bother Bree anymore-or anyone else for that
matter.”
“Holy s**t,” Kenneth muttered under his breath, and when Miguel followed his gaze, they both smirked like they’d been caught red-handed at something. Miguel clapped Kenneth’s chest in silent agreement before leaning back in his seat.
“Is Bree still pissed at you?” Kenneth asked, one brow c****d in that infuriatingly smug way of his.
“I think so,” I admitted with a sigh, but his expression had shifted, his eyes darting to something behind me. My own instincts prickled, my pulse skipping, and I turned as I asked, “Why?”
And there she was.
The most gorgeous f*****g girl in the world.
The sight of Bree standing in the doorway almost knocked the breath out of me. Rachel said something quick in her ear before slipping away-probably rushing to set up the mic-but all I saw
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She looked unreal. Sure, Bree always looked beautiful, even in shorts and a messy bun after a
morning run. But tonight… tonight she was radiant. She wore a blue dress patterned with flowers, soft fabric hugging her curves before flaring gently at her waist. It ended just above her knees, showing off her smooth legs and the delicate lines of her ankles, bare except for a simple pair of
sandals. Her skin had caught more color from the sun these past few days, and the faint shimmer
of it against the fabric made her glow. Her hair was loose, spilling in soft waves over her shoulders, and I could tell Rachel had helped her with makeup. It wasn’t heavy, just enough to highlight what
was already perfect-her lips, her lashes, that soft pink across her cheeks.
She looked like summer itself. And she looked like she had no f*****g idea how badly I wanted to
claim her right then and there.
My fingers tightened around the cup, my jaw locking. Every instinct screamed to go to her, to drape my arm around her shoulders like I had every right, to lean down and brush my mouth
against her temple. To tell the whole goddamn camp without words that she was mine.
But before I could even move, Caleb beat me to it. He crossed the room with that easy smile
plastered across his face, towering over her as he said something that made her blush. Her eyes dropped, her hand lifting in that nervous way she had, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Heat flared sharp in my chest, the kind that wasn’t just warmth but wildfire. Jealousy crawled up my throat, bitter and dangerous. I didn’t have the right to feel it, not really. I’d been the one to screw things up, the one who created the distance between us. I’d been the one to betray her trust, even if I thought I was protecting her. So what right did I have to bristle at Caleb leaning close, at him making her smile? None. But reason didn’t stop that caveman growl from rattling inside my chest, didn’t stop the urge to stalk across the room and tear her away from him.
My hand clenched around the plastic cup until the sides buckled.
And then Rachel’s voice rang out through the speakers, bright and unshakable.
“Good evening everyone!” she squealed into the microphone, her voice carrying over the hum of
chatter.
Bree turned her head immediately, her eyes finding Rachel with relief, and Caleb followed her gaze though he didn’t back off, didn’t give her space.
“Welcome to our first karaoke night!” Rachel announced, her arms wide as if she was the host of some giant festival instead of a camp talent night. From somewhere in the crowd, I heard Derek cheering her on, the booming sound of it making half the room laugh.
“This is the night where you come up here, give it your all, scream your lungs out, and simply just have a bunch of fun,” she continued, grinning as her energy bounced off the crowd. “We’re not here to judge-we’re here to have fun. Anyone can join, and there’s no limit to how many songs you can
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Whispers spread instantly through the room. Some people groaned and swore they’d never get up there. Others, especially a cluster of girls near the back, were already plotting, half-singing lines and practicing mock dance moves.
“However,” Rachel warned, her voice bright but edged with authority, “if no one volunteers, then I’ll just start picking random people out of the crowd. And trust me, I won’t be picking the ones who are already eager to go up there.” She lifted a finger, mock stern, but it worked. A ripple of laughter moved through the room, mixed with nervous groans.
“She’s such a f*****g ball-buster, that one,” Miguel chuckled under his breath, shaking his head with a grin as he looked toward the stage.
Rachel clapped her hands together, her grin mischievous as she scanned the room. “Now, if we give them a big hand, I’m sure the first ones on stage will be thrilled to serenade you. We’ve had them for multiple years in a row, and I know once they start singing, the party will officially arrive. What do you say, hut seven?” Her gaze landed right on me, hunting me out like a predator.
I raised my hand lazily, a smirk curling onto my lips when Rachel locked eyes with me. “I think we wouldn’t pass on entertaining everyone, am I right?” I called out, loud enough for the whole room to hear.
Miguel whooped immediately, Kenneth joining with a loud holler, and from the other side of the hut Caleb added his voice as well. The sound was enough to stir the crowd, and soon hands clapped and whistles rang out, people calling for us to get up there.
We moved toward the stage as a group, the energy buzzing like static in the air. People cheered us on, some standing to clap as though we were about to headline a stadium show. A girl’s voice cut out above the noise, shrill and daring-“Take your shirt off, Miguel!”-which only made him grin wider. He pressed his hands into a heart shape and aimed it at her, sending the room into another wave of laughter.
I reached back, catching Caleb by the wrist, yanking him along when he hung back just slightly. His grin was bigger than I wanted it to be, his eyes flashing as though he’d already won something I hadn’t even let him compete for. But he was still my friend, still my teammate, still my responsibility as captain. So I hauled him up there anyway, even if the part of me that was clawing green with jealousy wanted to shove him right back down.
“What are we singing tonight, boys?” Rachel asked, practically bouncing in place as she moved toward the computer. She handed us microphones, the sleek black mics gleaming under the stage lights.
Kenneth smirked wide enough to split his face. “We gotta make panties fly, Rach.”
Rachel rolled her eyes so hard I thought she might strain something.
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I stepped closer, lowering my voice as I leaned toward her. “I’ve got something in mind.” Her brows shot up as I whispered it in her ear, her grin spreading slow and wicked when she pulled back. She nodded once, eyes flicking behind me toward the crowd-toward Bree-before she queued it up.
The room dimmed just a fraction as the music began. I felt the hush sweep through the crowd as people turned toward us, anticipation thickening the air. We stepped into the center of the stage, the lights warming our faces, the buzz of the speakers vibrating beneath my palm.
And then I found her.
She was standing off to the side, a red solo cup in her hand, her shoulders angled like she wanted to disappear into the crowd but her eyes betraying her. They locked with mine, steady, unyielding. My lips twisted into a grin, and I threw her a wink, watching the exact second she realized what song we’d chosen. Her eyes rolled, her mouth twitching with irritation-or amusement. Maybe both.
Miguel stepped forward first, holding his mic with mock seriousness as he started. “You’re insecure, don’t know what for. You’re turning heads when you walk through the door.” The crowd roared with laughter, some people already clapping along.
I angled myself so I was facing Bree, the words spilling easily as I sang my line: “Everyone else in the room can see it. Everyone else but you.” My voice wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t for them. It was for her.
Kenneth slung an arm over my shoulder, pulling me into a rough bounce, and together we launched into the chorus, our voices blending with Miguel and Caleb’s. “Baby, you light up my world like nobody else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed. But when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell-you don’t know, oh-oh, you don’t know you’re beautiful!”
The hut erupted. People were on their feet, screaming, laughing, clapping. Some sang along at the top of their lungs, the sound rattling the walls.
We gave them a show, no doubt about it. Kenneth leaned into the theatrics, Miguel hammed it up for the girls, Caleb grinned like the world revolved around him. But me? Every lyric, every note-l sang straight to Bree. My eyes didn’t leave her. Not for a second.
The music slowed toward the end, the last chorus building. I crouched low on the stage, leaning down until I was eye level with her across the room. My voice rang out, unashamed, my grin wide. ” Baby, you light up my world like nobody else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed. But when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell-you don’t know you’re beautiful!”
She laughed-full, unguarded, bright. Her lips curved, her cheeks flushing pink as the sound escaped her. And God, that laugh, that smile-it hit me harder than the crowd’s cheers, harder than the bass pounding in the speakers. It hit me right in the chest, sharp and electric, burning straight down to the place I’d been trying to guard.
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I grinned back at her, wide and wild, my chest tight, my pulse thundering as the final chorus carried
us out.
We weren’t the best singers-not even close-but we knew how to start a party. We knew how to loosen everyone up, to make them forget about everything else and just revel in the moment. That was why Rachel always picked us first.
But for me, it wasn’t about the party. It wasn’t about the cheers or the whistles or the way the crowd clapped to the beat.
It was about Bree.
Seeing her smile like that, seeing the light in her eyes, was worth every second of making a fool of myself on stage. And I’d do it again, a thousand times over, just to earn that look from her.
